Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:To perform a safety and efficacy study of transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) in Chinese patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age–related macular degeneration (ARMD). Methods: In a prospective study, the patients with subfoveal or juxtafoveal CNV secondary to ARMD accepted TTT with a fixed treatment and follow–up protocol. For a 0.8, 1.2, 2.0, 3.0 mm spot, the laser energy setting was 100, 150, 250, 400 mW alternatively. From Aug 2002 to Dec 2003, 18 eyes, completed 6 months follow–up, were included in this report. Results: Vision improved in 5 eyes, was stable (loss <3 lines) in 5 eyes, had moderate loss (loss 3–<6 lines) in 3 eyes, severe loss (loss ≥6 lines) in 5 eyes. Totally, 44.44% of eyes had vision loss ≥3 lines and 55.56% of eyes had improved or stable vision. In the subgroup of greatest linear dimension (GLD) ≤ 3.0mm, 64.29% of eyes (9/14) had improved or stable vision. Major complications included sub–retinal fibrosis with choroidal folding (1 eye, 5.6%) and laser–related retinal pigment epithelium atrophy (8 eyes, 44.4%). Conclusions: TTT in Chinese ARMD patients, according to our protocol, generally prevented severe vision loss at 6 months follow–up but induced retinal pigment epithelium atrophy.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • choroid: neovascularization • laser